TRAPS: Youdon’t want to come across either as a hothead or a wimp.
BEST ANSWER: Give an answer that’s suited to both yourpersonality and the management style of the firm. Here, the homework you’ve done about thecompany and its style can help in your choice of words.
Examples: If you are a reserved person and/or thecorporate culture is coolly professional:
“I’m aneven-tempered and positive person by nature, and I believe this helps me agreat deal in keeping my department running smoothly, harmoniously and with agenuine esprit de corps. I believe incommunicating clearly what’s expected, getting people’s commitment to thosegoals, and then following up continuously to check progress.”
“If anyoneor anything is going off track, I want to know about it early. If, after that kind of open communication andfollow up, someone isn’t getting the job done, I’ll want to know why. If there’s no good reason, then I’ll getimpatient and angry…and take appropriate steps from there. But if you hire good people, motivate them tostrive for excellence and then follow up constantly, it almost never gets tothat state.”
If you arefeisty by nature and/or the position calls for a tough straw boss.
“You knowwhat makes me angry? People who (thefill in the blanks with the most objectionable traits for this type ofposition)…people who don’t pull their own weight, who are negative, people wholie…etc.”